April 2 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
CAMPUS SNAPSHOT
The McDonnell Douglas Engineering Auditorium glows under a cloudy pink sky. Photo by Ian Parker
TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES
Vaccine update for students
Beginning April 15, the state is making COVID-19 vaccines available to Californians ages 16 and above. While COVID-19 vaccines are not required at UCI at this time, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to get one. Please consider seeking out a vaccine at one of the distribution sites, pharmacies or your medical provider. Click this link for more information.
Executive directive on gatherings
To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on UCI property, the Directive on gatherings has been updated. Gatherings, events, and meetings involving two or more individuals who are not from the same “living unit” will be subject to the new requirements.
Executive directive on guests/visitors
The Directive on invited guests/visitors, executed on September 8, 2020, has been rescinded as of April 1. All individuals hosting visitors on UCI controlled property are responsible for adhering to all relevant policies and guidance.
No new campus cases*
No student residents or on-campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.
UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS
UCI contact tracing meeting the challenge with the help of campus partners
UCI’s contact tracing program has been able to reach 97.6% of all campus positive cases since fall quarter began. This is a remarkable figure when compared with data from various counties and other jurisdictions, which often hover closer to 65% to 75%. The success of UCI’s contact tracing program is testament to the partnership with OIT, Student Health, housing, athletics, COEH, campus social work and human resources.
Spectators at events for 2021 spring sports
In accordance with California’s decision to allow fans to return to outdoor sporting events starting April 1, UCI Athletics will be inviting a limited number of patrons into Anteater Ballpark for the remainder of the season. Priority will be given to student-athlete families, donors, and season ticket holders who will receive communication on how to gain access. Single game tickets are not available at this time.
Upcoming events
- Medical Education and the Pandemic, April 5 at 4 p.m., sponsored by School of Medicine
- How to Set Up Your Home Office Space, April 6 at 12 p.m., sponsored by UCI Wellness
UC NEWS
Friday fun fact
Teaching teachers: UC’s almost 8,000 professional development and preparation programs help prepare California’s teacher workforce and strengthen teachers’ skills throughout their careers.
GENERAL COVID-19 NEWS
This section curates noteworthy coronavirus news, trends and opinions. No endorsement by UCI is implied. Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and OC Register for students, faculty and staff.
US pandemic recovery picks up speed
The US economy’s recovery from the pandemic strengthened in March as employers added 916,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. The job gain was up from the revised 468,000 increase in jobs reported for February.
Walmart, Sam’s Club to begin vaccinations at nearly 150 stores across California
Eligible Californians can now book an appointment to get vaccinated at 143 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations statewide, the stores announced Thursday.
Johnson & Johnson expands vaccine trial to include adolescents
US drugmaker Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday that it will soon begin vaccinating children as young as 12 in the company’s ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine.
California lifts travel advisory but still discourages out-of-state travel
On Thursday, California lifted the statewide advisory that asked leisure travelers to stay within 120 miles of home to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to a news release. However, the California Department of Public Health still discourages travelers from leaving the state or the country “until we can achieve higher levels of vaccination in California and beyond.”
Experts grade California’s vaccine rollout
A reporter reached out to a dozen epidemiology, public health and equity experts throughout California and outside the state, and asked them to grade the state’s vaccine rollout and explain why. The average grade they gave? B-.
HOPE, INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER
Amid the heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship wrought by the coronavirus, we recognize the need for stories of kindness, hope, courage and humor.
If the COVID-19 vaccines interviewed for a job
The vaccines take “jabs” at each other in this skit performed by comedian Jeff Wright.
#UCIconnected
If you have a shoutout, or if you’d like to share what you’ve been up to during the pandemic, send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering, etc., to marketing@uci.edu or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.
EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION
* Potential workplace exposure: UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.